| The Scientific Method |
| How have some other scientists described the scientific method ? It is an approach to solving problems that assumes (but does not prove) that the phenomena we see in the natural world have natural causes. What the heck is "O.H.E.C.K." ? "O.H.E.C.K." is a memory aid developed by your instructor to help you remember the order of events in what is sometimes called the scientific method. It is an acronym, with each letter standing for a word. |
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| The sinister inventor of the acronym "O.H.E.C.K.": one Hypothesis suggests he is, in fact, not human! |
| Observation: someone (maybe you!) notices some event in the natural world (Phenomena) that makes them wonder about the event's cause. Hypothesis: this is a possible explanation developed by somebody (maybe you!) as to the cause of some mysterious phenomena that has been Observed. Experiment: the Hypothesis is tested in some way. If a hypothesis can't be tested, it really isn't scientific. Conclusion: at the end of the Experiment, either the Hypothesis has been proven false or it hasn't been proven false. It is never "proven" true! Knowledge-Sharing: the Conclusion of the Experiment must be shared with other researchers, who will either develop a better test for the Hypothesis or (often) develop a better Hypothesis ! NOTICE THAT THIS PROCESS CAN BE REPEATED INDEFINITELY ! |
| What does "O.H.E.C.K." stand for, then ? |